Silver Linings
by Danielle Salvatore
Summary: "She didn't want anymore people to know about all of her problems. She didn't want them to pity her or think she was crazy, because she wasn't. Not anymore anyway." (Maroline & Bamon) (Caroline Centric) (One-shot)


Silver Linings

**A/N: This is the longest one-shot i've ever written...and it's about Caroline of all people lol. This was originally supposed to be a short, fluffy story about Caroline using her evil mind to help get Damon and Bonnie together, but it became more emotional and a lot more about Caroline as a character than Bamon (although it does have Bamon in it still). And then Maroline happened and this story turned into a freaking monster. But I worked hard on it so I hope people like it. Takes place sometime in L.J Smith's kindle books and after Stefan returns. **

**WARNING: There is light Elena bashing in this fanfic, but that's only because it's told from Caroline's POV and she's not Elena's biggest fan. **

* * *

Caroline Forbes could feel herself growing more and more bored as the minutes ticked by.

The scene was relatively the same as always. She, along with Elena, Bonnie, Meredith, Matt, and the two Salvatore brothers, the entire gang, were currently sitting in the front den of Mrs. Flowers' boarding house. A new werewolf pack had apparently moved into the direct outskirts of Fells Church and then being the paranoid group of people that they were, they had to host a meeting on how to best "deal with it".

Although, she was starting to become very unsure of why she was even there in the first place. No one had glanced in her direction the entire time thus far. It had been more than likely feelings of obligation that made then invite her at all.

She was a clear outsider in the group, and always would be.

"We don't know if they're dangerous yet," Elena said soothingly to an enraged Damon after he had finished ranting about the possible threat the pack could impose. "We should wait and gain more information on them before we do anything hasty." The blonde then reached out and placed a hand on the dark eyed vampire's arm, as if to soothe him. But the way her hand almost sensually caressed him made the move look a lot more than just friendly. And as it happened, Stefan, Elena's boyfriend, sat on her left side and held her hand, his green eyes staring at her adoringly.

The sight was so sickening that Caroline forced her eyes away from the three of them. Really...what was so special about Elena Gilbert? What was it about her that was now making two centuries old vampire brothers be completely immersed with her, to the point where they were both giving up their dignities in order to chase her?

"I am aware of that, princess," Damon eventually replied, but Caroline couldn't see the look on his face due to the fact that her face was now firmly turned away from them. "However, if they make any move to actually move _into _the town, then I am going to take action. I believe we all remember what happened last time we allowed our guard to go down when new happenings were occurring."

Caroline had to actually hold back a shiver at his words. She knew what he was referring to well. The time when the entire town had been taken over by the malach...terrible creatures that had the ability to completely possesses people, and had been brought to Fells Church by the kitsune twins Shinchi and Misao. Although she had been possessed herself for most of the invasion, there were still nights when she laid in bed and saw the face of Shinchi in her mind, often leaving her waking up from the nightmares in a screaming fit.

"Maybe it's Bastian's pack," Bonnie chirped suddenly, cutting into the silence that had passed over the group. "He might be able help if he's one of them."

Oh yes...Bonnie's _friend _Bastian. Or at least to Bonnie, that was all he was. But it had become painfully obvious, to Caroline that the werewolf viewed the little redhead as being much more than just a friend.

"No," Damon's voice replied, and his tone was so chilling and biting that it was what finally caused Caroline to look in his direction once more as he stared Bonnie down. "In fact, I believe that's a precise reason why you should stay away from him for the time being. He could be dangerous, little redbird. I don't want you anywhere around him."

And the look on his face...oh wow. Caroline had always known there was _something _between Bonnie and Damon, but she had always assumed that it was relatively one-sided...at least on a romantic aspect. Surely Damon's head was too clouded with his obsession towards Elena to take any interest in Bonnie in that way. But now, it was clear that wasn't the case. He looked much too angry at the idea of Bonnie hanging around Bastian for it to just be about wanting her to be safe, especially since it was known to everyone that Bastian was about as dangerous as a bunny. It looks like Elena wasn't the only one caught between two people. The auburn-haired girl covered her mouth with her hand to suppress a snicker.

Bonnie, in a surprisingly annoyed tone of her own, wasted no time in responding to Damon's comment. "Bastian is my friend, Damon. And...and you can't tell me who I can and can't be around!"

The room then erupted into a heated debate, with Damon fighting for his stance on why Bastian could be 'dangerous' while everyone else seemed to be fighting against him in Bonnie's favor, but Caroline wasn't paying that close of attention anymore, her mind currently swarming with new ideas and plans.

Perhaps there was a way to tone Queen Elena Gilbert's reign down a notch after all.

* * *

Later that day, after the 'meeting' had been dismissed, Caroline decided to go pay her old friend Bonnie a visit.

She knew where she would find the little redhead. Caroline had more than often spotted her in the garden outside the boarding house during the afternoons, looking through all of Mrs. Flowers's herbs and various plants. She wasn't sure why she did it but it seemed to be daily ritual nonetheless.

"You like Damon, don't you?" Caroline asked as she entered the garden, stepping behind her. Secretly, if the way Bonnie looked at Damon every day, her gaze often shifting between a look of longing and one of pain when he was around Elena was anything to go by, she _more _than liked Damon. But if she said that, there would no doubt be some vehement denying...even more than the denial that she was sure to receive now.

As expected, Bonnie let out a yelp, displaying her startled reaction, and turned sharply to face her, stumbling slightly on her feet as she did so. When she saw who it was, the only emotion on her face that could be clearly seen was surprise.

"Um...hi Caroline."

"Do you like Damon?" Caroline repeated once more. There was no point in dwindling around her main reason for this visit. They weren't friends anymore anyway. Not really.

Bonnie's cheeks flooded with a red hue, indicating a definite 'yes' as an answer to the question, even if she wouldn't verbally answer that way.

"Damon? I...well, he's..."

"Just admit it, Bonnie. Everyone knows...except maybe him, anyway. Which is strange, considering how obvious you always make it."

"I make it obvious?!"

"Painfully. But it's okay, because this is your lucky day. I'm going to help you."

Bonnie's brow furrowed in obvious confusion. "Help me with what?"

"Help you win over Damon for yourself, of course." Caroline tried to keep her voice casual as she responded, not act as though there were a million evil plans swarming around in her mind. Bonnie was more than likely loyal to Elena, after all. If she knew that the main reason for her wanting to help her was in a goal of getting Elena off of her pedestal a little, she wouldn't be as willing to accept it.

The blush that had first appeared on Bonnie's cheeks when Damon was first brought up returned, along with a stammer. "Oh well...that's...that's nice of you Caroline, but...I don't think Damon feels that way towards me. And I don't think he ever will." There was a touch of sadness in her tone near the end of the sentence.

Caroline let out a light huff, shaking her head. "Did you see the way he reacted to what you said about Bastian today, Bonnie?"

"Yeah...but that's only because he's a werewolf and he thinks he's dangerous. He said so himself."

Caroline wasn't sure if she really was that oblivious or just very deeply in denial. Maybe a mixture of both.

"I don't think so. He seemed pretty jealous from where I saw things."

Bonnie didn't look convinced, but...Caroline thought she could now see a very faint spark of hope in her eyes, as if hearing ideas of a jealous Damon from an outside perspective was enough to start making her consider the possibility. "How do you plan on helping me?"

"Come to my house around seven tomorrow. We'll start talking about it then."

* * *

Her meeting with Bonnie had to happen around seven of course, because it was enough to give her time to get home from her therapy session.

Yes, therapy. Ever since the accusation she had made while she was possessed by the malach about Matt assaulting her and being the father of her children had been proven to be false, her parents had been convinced that it was needed...that she wasn't 'right in the head'. And maybe they were partly right, but that didn't mean she couldn't hold some resentment for it.

She was just exiting the mental health clinic when she heard an achingly familiar voice.

"Caroline?"

Panicked, Caroline wheeled around and saw none other than Matt Honeycutt standing only a few feet away. No. She didn't want _any _of them finding out about this.

"What are you doing here?" She asked harshly in response.

Matt either didn't notice her malicious tone or chose to ignore it altogether. His tone voice was calm and casual as he pointed to a building that sat directly across from the clinic she was currently exiting. "The dentistry over there is where my mom works. I was going over there to surprise her with a visit during her lunch break when I saw you walking out of this building."

Caroline tried not to let the vulnerability and fear she felt at the moment show. She put on a brave face. "Well, congrats. You saw me. I'll be leaving now."

She wheeled back around to walk away from him as quickly as possible but the feel of him lightly grabbing her arm made her stop in her tracks and wince. "Wait, Caroline. I just...are you alright?"

She ripped her arm away from his grasp and turned slightly to face him once more, although she still kept her distance. "Of course I am."

"You were walking out of a clinic..."

"I'm _fine,_ Matt. Now just let it go," she seethed once more before turning to walk away again. This time, thankfully, he didn't try to stop her.

She didn't want anymore people to know about all of her problems. She didn't want them to pity her or think she was crazy, because she _wasn't. _Not anymore anyway.

* * *

When 7:00 rolled around, Caroline was ready.

Bonnie kept to her word and showed up around that time, not too early and not too late, and Caroline had quickly ushered her inside. She was thankful that her parents weren't currently around. The last thing she needed was for them to treat her like an unstable, wild creature as they usually did when they were home. She didn't want Bonnie or anyone else for that matter to witness that.

"I still don't really understand why you're doing this for me," Bonnie said softly. From the way she said it, it was obvious that she was looking for some sort of answer again.

In truth, even Caroline herself wasn't entirely sure why she was doing it, although she had a few fairly good guesses. Perhaps it was out of a secret thirst to belong somewhere in the group. If she managed to help Bonnie land the guy she wanted, she might be grateful enough to allow their old friendship to be patched up a bit despite everything that happened. Or maybe it was merely to tear down Elena a little. Elena, who had always been the golden girl and got everything she wanted. Elena, who had once been considered an angel tethered to earth despite the many instances in her life where she was unbelievably selfish. Elena, who currently had two vampire brothers fighting over her like slobbering puppies despite the fact that she was clearly stringing both of them along.

And meanwhile, here was Caroline. Pregnant at the age of nineteen with werewolf babies and possibly becoming a werewolf unwillingly herself. The father of her children had taken off, seemingly not caring about them or her at all. Her own parents believed her to be crazy, and most of the town, including her old friends, saw her as some sort of pariah. She was utterly alone now in every sense of the word.

Maybe she was a little bitter.

"You care about Damon a lot," she eventually said as she pulled out a pen and notebook. "Doesn't it bother you that Elena strings both him and his brother along all of the time?"

Bonnie looked a bit conflicted for a few seconds. "Well um I...yes," she admitted, looking slightly ashamed to be speaking poorly of her friend in any way. "But...you don't really care about Damon and Stefan, do you?" She then quickly continued, as if to make what she had said sound better. "I mean, you don't really know them that well."

"Maybe not. But I _do _care about showing Elena Gilbert that she doesn't get to have everything revolve around her all of the time."

"So you think Elena will be mad if this works?"

"Probably for a little while. But who cares? She doesn't need both of them anyway. She'll get over it."

Before Bonnie could say anything else in a form of protest, Caroline began hastily jotting down words into the small notebook, wanting to get some ideas planned out. "Now, I think I know of at least one thing we could do."

"What's that?"

Caroline grinned. "Bastian likes you."

Another blush. "So?"

At least Bonnie was well aware of the fact that Bastian liked her. If she wasn't, Caroline might have had to suggest that she was the one that was truly in need of a doctor.

"So we can use him to our advantage! It was made clear that Damon doesn't like it when you're around him, and even if you don't believe it, it was because he was jealous. If you just put on a little make-up, flirt with him a bit, and make it clear that Damon can see you, it will drive him crazy."

"But...but I can't just use Bastian to make Damon jealous! That's _mean _Caroline!"

"You don't get what you want in life by always being nice, Bonnie," Caroline said with a mild roll to her eyes. "Do you remember some of the tactics Elena used to get Stefan? She tried to make it so the entire school believed he was a narc so no one else would go for him."

"I...I don't care. If being with Damon means that I have to hurt Bastian's feelings, then I don't want to go through with it."

And despite the tremor in her voice, Caroline could tell that she unfortunately did mean it.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine. No flirting. But Bastian _is _going to play a part in the plan. He's too much of a key figure not to. But i'll try to keep you out of it for the most part."

Bonnie looked a little hesitant. "You won't hurt him, right?"

"Of course not. But here's what I need you to do." A faint glimmer of mischief flashed in Caroline's green eyes. "I want you to ask Bastian how he would feel about a _friendly _group outing. With just the three of us."

* * *

Later that night, after Bonnie had left, Caroline heard a knock at the front door.

She had been sitting upstairs in her room, reading a book when she heard it. She frowned at the sound. It couldn't be her parents, both because they had a key and wouldn't need to knock, and because they weren't supposed to be back before morning. And since she wasn't expecting anyone else, she had no idea who it could be.

Grumbling a bit in annoyance, the auburn-haired girl forced herself to place the book she had been reading down and walked out of the bedroom, eventually going down the staircase and in the direction of the front door. She swung it open without asking who it was, but immediately regretted doing so when she saw the person standing on the front porch of the house.

It was Matt.

"Hey," he quickly said before she could get a word out, looking a tad bit nervous himself. "I'm sorry if i'm bothering you but I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay...and to apologize for earlier today."

Caroline was perplexed. Matt hadn't actually done anything wrong...at least in the eyes of an outsider. The only reason she had been upset was because she didn't want anyone to know she was currently attending therapy, but he had no way of knowing that. She raised an eyebrow in question. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For approaching you like that. Maybe it made you uncomfortable...I could have waited until later, when you weren't still in front of the building. But I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just worried when I saw you walking out of a health clinic. "

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Even if there was something wrong, why would you even care after what I tried to do to you?"

She was obviously referring to the trial...when she almost had him falsely accused and convicted of sexually assaulting her. Even though she had still been on the edge of possession at the time, she remembered it well.

Matt looked surprised at her question and to his credit, it didn't at all look like he was faking it. "Because we've known each other since the first grade. Maybe we've never been good friends, but...you've always been a presence in my life, Caroline." He paused, as if considering whether or not he should say everything that was on his mind. "And, I know you've been through a lot. And that you weren't entirely yourself for a long period of time...including when you tried to have me convicted."

Caroline shouldn't have been surprised. She really shouldn't have. Matt had always been known as one of the kinder kids in town as they grew up, and that had obviously continued on with him into adulthood. He always wanted to help out the underdog and people in need. But his words were so sincere and gentle that they almost made tears want to pour out of her eyes. She held them back, however, wanting to hold her stoic stance to the world around her and not break down and cry in front of _anyone. _

Nonetheless, she did feel her tense muscles loosen, and her body was no longer on flight mode. Her next words seemed to tumble impulsively out.

"My parents wanted me to go to therapy after everything that happened," she said flatly, deciding to explain the situation to him. "I go twice a week. They say it's because they're worried that i'm depressed but it's really because they're afraid that i'm going to snap again. They just don't want to admit it."

She didn't really know why she decided to tell him that, other than the fact that his words had somehow gotten to her. But now she was regretting it a little, afraid of seeing the same fear that she saw from her parents daily flash through his blue eyes, or even worse; a look of pity.

But, it seemed that Matt Honeycutt wasn't done surprising her. No pity, no fear, or even wariness was present anywhere on his face. Instead, a soft smile spread across his lips. "I'm glad you're getting some sort of help. I don't think you're crazy or anything, but you have been through a lot. Therapy might be something you need to make yourself feel better." He shuffled his feet, as if he was afraid of his words somehow offending her. "Hasn't it helped a little?"

Caroline thought about the question. Although she still resented the way her parents treated her like fragile porcelain and she did mostly dread going to the therapy sessions each time, she did admittedly find them almost relieving when her therapist really got her talking. There was something almost...comforting talking to a therapist because they didn't know you and there were no strings attached. You could say and let out almost anything you wanted without it effecting your life. And since she was older than eighteen, everything she told her therapist really was confidential.

"A little maybe," she eventually granted, shrugging her shoulders. "But if I had my way, i'd stop going."

"No one is going to think less of you because you're going to therapy, Caroline. If anything, it makes me feel relieved. You seem like you isolate yourself from everyone these days. It doesn't look like you have anyone to really talk to."

She wanted to tell him that she didn't have anyone to talk to because she felt like no one would really listen. And that she could see and feel the stares she constantly got, and the whispers. She was the crazy girl that tried to convict an innocent man. To the Salvatore brothers, she was the girl who helped put the humans they care for in danger. And to her old friends, she was the person who back-stabbed them repeatedly over and over. But...there had been enough confessions for one night.

"Well...I appreciate your concern." And although her voice was mostly sarcastic, there was a genuine twinge of gratefulness in it that she hoped he would catch. Suddenly fearful that he wouldn't, she added. "Thank you, Matt."

"You're welcome."

Silence passed over them and, feeling uncomfortable towards the awkward staring, Caroline spoke once more. "I should probably sleep."

"Alright. Goodnight." Matt turned to leave but before she could fully shut the door, she heard his voice once more. "And...Caroline? If you ever need anyone else to talk to, i'm here. I won't tell anyone else what you say to me...I won't even tell anyone that you go to therapy if you don't want me to."

Caroline wasn't sure if she would be brave enough to really take him up on his offer but it was sweet. "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. Goodnight Matt."

And then she shut the door quickly, before she did something stupid like inviting him inside.

But as she locked the door and turned to go back upstairs and into her bedroom, a small smile lingered on her lips.

* * *

A few days passed, and her first plan of getting Damon's attention on Bonnie through an innocent day at the Fells Church annual fall carnival was in action. The only steps she had left to do was meet Bonnie and Bastian there herself and get Damon to show up.

One of those steps was currently in progress.

Luckily, the vampire was currently lounging in the boarding house den with a glass of his special wine in his hand and was in perfect sight and hearing distance from the kitchen. Caroline made a show of looking through every cupboard and every shelf on the fridge, being a little louder than necessary in order to get his attention.

When it was clear that he was completely ignoring her, Caroline began to grow frustrated. After quickly thinking up a new game plan, she made her way into the den to face him head on.

"Do you know if Mrs. Flowers has any fruit in here?" Mrs. Flowers had been careful to stock the boarding house with groceries on a regular basis, since Matt, Bonnie, Meredith, and Elena were regular visitors here.

Damon finally looked up from whatever he had been reading and faced her, although there was a very obvious annoyed glint in his gaze. "Pardon?"

Despite risking the chance of angering him, Caroline pressed on. He couldn't really do anything while they were in here anyway. "I asked you if you knew if Mrs. Flowers had any fruit."

"And why would I know anything about that?"

"You stay here often. And I need to know if there's enough food here to pack for me, Bonnie, and Bastian." She forced out an annoyed huff and turned on her heel to go back into the kitchen. "Never mind, i'll find it myself."

And then, just as she had predicted she would, she heard the vampire's velvety voice speak up again. "Bonnie and Bastian?"

After forcing the smug smile on her face to disperse, she turned back to face his direction once more and nodded. "Yes. I'm meeting them at the carnival. Bastian has a little crush on her and i've been trying to help him out a little." She gave a small laugh. "It's kind of cute, really. He likes her but he's too shy to ask her out on a _real _date. So we're going out on a friend outing so he has a chance to spend some time with her. But don't tell Bonnie I told you that." She then disappeared back into the kitchen.

And judging by the look that had been on Damon's face, it was obvious that they would eventually have a fourth party to their little carnival outing.

* * *

In the end, it had only taken Damon about thirty minutes to decide to come and find them.

They had been standing outside one of the game booths...a game where the player had to toss a ring onto a bar and make it all the way through. Bastan was currently on his third try to attempt to win a stuffed bear for Bonnie after the little redhead had accidentally made it clear that she believed the bears displayed in the booth to be cute. She was currently red-faced and stammering as she tried to explain to Bastian that even though she appreciated it, he didn't _have _to win her one.

Bastian had been about to throw his last ring for his third try when Damon's voice filtered into the air. "Your aim is very off balance, mongrel."

All three pairs of eyes instantly looked towards his direction. Caroline's expression was amusement, Bastian annoyance, and Bonnie surprise.

"Damon...what are you doing here?" Bonnie asked, being the first one to speak up. Her tone of voice wasn't accusing, just plain shocked.

Damon's expression was filled with amusement as he walked over to stand beside her, wrapping his arm tenderly around her. "I heard you were going to be here and I figured it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with my little redbird." It was very clear that he made sure to use the word 'my'.

Bastian was glaring at him, clearly not amused by the interruption. "If you think i'm so unbalanced, why don't you give it a try?"

Damon's dark eyes flashed in smugness, his arm still firmly around Bonnie's small frame. "Perhaps I will."

It was becoming very clear that Bonnie would have her hands full for the afternoon. Snickering quietly, Caroline turned away from the scene, deciding to give the three of them some...privacy. They obviously had a lot to work out.

Maybe she could go on a couple of rides...the few rides that would allow a pregnant woman to ride, anyway. Hopefully she'd be able to find a nice gentle one.

She didn't walk very far from the group before she was stopped by yet another voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Hey."

This time, it was Matt.

Instead of the flight response her body had automatically felt the last time she had accidentally run into him, she was relatively calm, only feeling slightly nervous when she turned to face him. "Hey."

Matt smiled softly before his eyes narrowed, seeing that she was the only one standing in the vicinity. "You here by yourself?"

"No...well, now I kind of am. I came here with Bonnie but she seems...busy at the moment." Caroline smirked before she turned back to look at the psychic, vampire, and werewolf once again. Damon and Bastian had been battling it out to win Bonnie a bear and from the looks of it, Damon had already won. His expression was smug and proud as he handed Bonnie the stuffed bear he most likely just recently won for her, while Bastian glared at the sight grumpily.

While her expression continued to be nothing less than utter amusement, Matt had an almost cautious look on his face as he regarded the scene. "I hope they don't end up breaking out into a fight."

"No. Damon wouldn't try anything in front of Bonnie. And Bastian seems so innocent...I don't think he could hurt a fly, even if he is a werewolf."

The two of them continued to stare at the interesting, although dangerous trio before Matt spoke up once more. "So...where were you heading off to?"

"I was going to go look for a ride I can get on. My choices are obviously limited." She glanced briefly down at her very pregnant belly.

"I saw a boat ride while I was walking around not too long ago. It looked pretty mellow. Do you want to go ride it?"

Caroline assumed he was asking her to ride it _with _him, but she wasn't going to try to confirm it out of fear of embarrassment if that turned out to not be what he meant. Instead, she only said one simple word.

"Sure."

* * *

As it turned out, Matt _had _meant to ask her to ride it with him. Caroline wasn't so sure if the idea made her more nervous or excited, which was fairly pathetic considering she had no trouble with boys during all of her high school years.

But then again, back when she was in high school, she wasn't pregnant and labeled as the town's resident psycho.

Nevertheless, they got on the ride smoothly, and it was a ride that she was allowed to go on despite being heavily with child. Matt helped her gently strap her seat belt over her stomach carefully before the little ride boat they had boarded took off.

It was nice. Boring and slow, but...nice. Besides, it would be impossible to go on one of the more thrilling rides while she was in her current condition. She would try to enjoy what she _could _do.

"So...are you and Bonnie friends again?"

Caroline was surprised by the sudden question, and not entirely sure about how to answer it. "I don't know. But I am helping her win over Damon."

"Her and _Damon?"_

She narrowed her eyes, suspicious over the almost protective tint in his voice. "Yeah. What's wrong with that? Doesn't it get tiresome watching Elena go back and forth between them all of the time?"

Matt looked slightly defensive for a few seconds, seemingly having not liked the way she spoke about Elena, but he either brushed it aside or quickly got over it. "It has nothing to do with Elena. It's the fact that it's _Damon. _I don't want Bonnie to get hurt."

"Do you like her or something?" Caroline asked before she could stop herself.

Matt's cheeks flushed a light red. "No...well, not anymore. There was a time a while back where I considered the idea of us together, but now, I think of her more as a sister. But that doesn't make me any less protective."

Caroline tried to ignore the feeling of relief she felt at hearing his answer.

Silence passed over them as the boat ride continued, which seemed to be going around the entire carnival ground through a stream, giving them a view of everything from the other rides, to the games, and the food booths.

Eventually, when the water trail eventually led the boats passed the area that the game booths were located, she caught sight of Bonnie once again. Bastian was no longer in sight, and Caroline could only guess that the werewolf had given up and gone off somewhere else after making some sort of excuse. She felt the tiniest twinge of sympathy towards him, but not enough to make her regret acting out on her plan. From what she was seeing now, it had worked beautifully.

Damon and Bonnie were walking side by side together, with her happily carrying the stuffed bear he had won for her in her arms, and he with his arm wrapped firmly around her, as though trying to protect her from any possible threat at the carnival. And they both had smiles on their faces.

"She loves him," Caroline mused. "I've known Bonnie since elementary school. I can tell. And i'm pretty sure he loves her too, even if his head is too clouded with Elena syndrome to admit it."

"There was a point during the time where we had been compelled to forget everything...when Damon was 'dating' Elena, that I felt like he liked Bonnie a bit too much,' Matt admitted in response. "I wasn't entirely sure if I was just seeing things or not at the time, but I guess I hadn't been. I just hope for his sake that he treats her right if it ever becomes official."

She was glad that they seemed to be semi in agreement now.

When the ride began to come to a stop, she felt a little disappointed. Although it hadn't been one of the more exciting rides she had been on in her life, it had been peaceful. Especially with Matt by her side, whom she was growing more and more comfortable with the more time she spent with him.

"It looks like it's almost time to get off," Matt said, as they watched as the exit stand came closer and closer.

"Yeah," she said lamely in response.

When their turn to get off of the ride came, Matt stepped off first, and then turned back in her direction, reaching out his hand courteously to help her out of the boat. Caroline hoped he didn't notice how badly her heart was currently pounding.

_Oh please get a grip over yourself. Matt is a gentleman...of course he would offer you his hand. And the fact that you're pregnant probably makes him feel even more like it's something he should do. It means nothing, _she mentally scolded herself.

She took his offered hand and after he had helped her onto the exit deck, she had to hold back a sigh of disappointment when he let go of her hand. Forcing a smile, she faced him head on once they were completely off the deck. "Thanks for riding with me. It was...nice."

Matt nodded in agreement with a smile of his own. "It was." He shuffled his feet, a motion that he had also done when he was talking to her on her front porch and one that she could only interpret as nervousness. "But just because the ride is over doesn't mean we have to separate, you know. Bonnie seems to be busy with Damon anyway. Do you...want to walk around with me?"

This time, she didn't have to force the large smile that stretched across her lips. Not at all. "Sure."

* * *

A couple days after the carnival, Caroline found herself seated in the boarding house once more for another meeting about the werewolf pack, but this time was a little different from the last.

The awkward formation of the Elena, Stefan, and Damon trio had shifted, with Damon now choosing to sit closer to Bonnie instead. Caroline wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or absentmindedly, but either way, the plan was working. He was being pulled more and more away from Elena and in the direction of 'his little redbird'.

And more importantly, she wasn't ignored...at least not like last time. Bonnie consistently shot her smiles throughout the entire conversation, as if silently trying to thank her for the progress she had helped her gain with Damon. And Matt...oh sweet Matt. He seemed to be going out of his way to make her feel included, choosing to sit right beside her and frequently asking for her input on the different situations the group was discussing. She was trying really hard to remind herself that it was most likely just because he was being his usual nice self and not read too much into it, even though she dared to hope a little.

But amazingly, the most surprising event out of the entire night didn't occur until after the small group meeting was over.

Elena approached her.

She had just begun to get ready to leave when she heard the voice of her ex friend call her name.

"Caroline? Could I talk to you in the kitchen? Just for a few moments?"

She didn't want to talk to her. Not at all. But she had been making so much progress lately in terms of squeezing herself into the group. She didn't want to risk ruining all of that progress by potentially angering their golden girl.

"Okay," she forced out reluctantly before turning to slowly follow Elena into the boarding house kitchen. Once they were both fully immersed in it and out of the general hearing rage of the others, Elena wasted no time in beginning.

"What happened to us?"

Caroline hadn't been expecting such an...open-ended question. She was preparing herself to listen through direct orders and questions...and maybe even a few insults.

Now the real problem was figuring out how to answer the question that _was _posed to her...

If she were to be completely honest, she knew that _she _had been the main initial cause for their friendship falling apart. Her jealousy and bitterness had taken off to a new height at the beginning of their senior year, and it grew even worse when Elena set her sights on Stefan even while she already had a boyfriend. The worst part about it was that Elena was pretty convinced she would be able to easily get him, and had gone to huge measures such as spreading roomers and hounding Stefan until he supposedly gave in to reach her goal. So yes, Caroline had wanted to take her down a few pegs and show her that she couldn't get everything she wanted all of the time and that the world _didn't _revolve around Elena Gilbert. And of course, things between them had only continued to grow worse and worse as time continued to pass. But she wasn't about to admit all of that out loud to her.

"I don't know," she responded after a moment.

Elena narrowed her eyes, unconvinced and maybe a little annoyed. "You stole my diary. And then you almost read it out loud to the town to accuse Stefan of the murders."

"I didn't really want anyone to get hurt...well maybe except Stefan, but that's only because I thought he _was _the murderer, and you made it sound like he was in your diary. But I only wanted to embarrass you." She then scowled, preparing to turn away from her once more and leave the house. "Look, if this conversation is going to be all about everything I did wrong so you can goad more apologies out of me, it isn't going to happen, so you might as well drop it."

"No Caroline. I just..." Elena closed her eyes for a moment, obviously trying to reign in her temper. "I want to understand you, that's all. We used to be friends."

When Caroline said nothing in response to the words, Elena sighed and continued. "I know we'll probably never be friends again...not like we used to be anyway, but I hope we can at least be civil around each other. So i'd appreciate it if you'd stop avoiding me like the plague all of the time."

"I'm not avoiding you. Like you said, we're not friends. We have no reason to want to be around each other."

"Well, if you're going to be around the group more, you need to give everyone a reason to trust you. You may now have Bonnie and Matt, but Bonnie is accepting of almost everyone and Matt forgives too easily. I'm not asking you to be my friend. I'm asking for a possible truce." Elena's icy blue eyes were especially steely as she said the words, but it looked more out of seriousness than anything. "Can we at least agree to that?"

"Fine."

They would more than likely never be _friends _again, but maybe they could at least be civil towards each other.

But Caroline was still going to help Bonnie fully win over Damon. Truce or no truce, the one-sided threesome Elena had going on with both of the Salvatore brothers was still sickening.

* * *

Four days later after her conversation with Elena, Caroline was invited to go shopping with all three of the girls.

There was no doubt in her mind that it had been Bonnie's idea to invite her. Meredith had most likely agreed to it in an attempt to be polite and Elena was no doubt going along with it in order to keep an eye on her, but she had agreed nonetheless.

Right now, she was standing outside the changing stall with Meredith, while Bonnie and Elena were inside trying on a few things, which made her a bit edgy. Out of everyone, Meredith made her the most nervous...even more than the Salvatore brothers. She had a way of regarding people that made them wary. And unlike the Salvatore brothers, Meredith had also once been her friend. She knew her better than they did, which somehow made it even worse.

"Bonnie seemed excited about inviting you. I think she's starting to grow attached," Meredith said suddenly out of the clear silence.

Caroline was frustrated that she couldn't really tell what Meredith's mood was or formulate any guesses on why she said the words. Her voice had been completely monotone, it seemed like.

"We've been spending some time together," she replied, trying to be her voice as casual as Meredith's had been.

She wouldn't go into detail about why exactly she and Bonnie were spending time together. She had no way of moving whether or not Bonnie had already talked to Meredith about it, but just in case she hadn't, Caroline wasn't going to be the one to spill the beans.

"I know. She told that she thinks the two of you could be friends again. Just...don't give her a reason to regret her words."

Now she understood what Meredith's reasoning for speaking to her had been. To be protective over Bonnie...from her. She had to resist the urge to scowl. There seemed to be no love lost there either.

Luckily, her awkward time with Meredith ended abruptly when one of the dressing stall doors opened, revealing Bonnie as she stepped out, wearing the outfit she had taken in to try on, a burgundy skirt and a yellowish top.

"I like it," the redhead proclaimed proudly as she beamed, looking into the mirror that stood right outside the stalls. "But, I almost think it would look better with a new haircut. My curls..."

"Don't cut your curls," Caroline ordered directly.

Bonnie seemed confused by the sudden intrusion. "Why not?"

"Just take my word for it and don't do it," she firmly said, recalling all of the times she had seen Damon absentmindedly playing with Bonnie's hair as they sat next to each other.

* * *

Three days later, Caroline was at home, a grimace on her face due to slight the pain she was currently feeling.

The babies were kicking. Or, at least one of them was rather rapidly. She supposed it was because it was almost their due date and they were getting impatient, wanting to come out already.

As for the mother herself, she had mixed emotions towards that idea.

Of course she wanted them out...it would be nice to finally have her body back. But at the same time, strong fear crossed through her thinking about the outcome of their birth. She was pregnant with werewolf offspring, after all, and not only would she have to worry about being a mother to them, but there was also the risk of becoming one herself. At least, that's what she felt like was going to happen. In her eyes, she seemed more and more wolfish as time went by, and she didn't think she was ready for the big finale.

And it seemed like she would have to handle it all on her own, since Tyler Smallwood seemingly didn't care for either her or his unborn children.

A knock at the door thankfully interrupted her from the dark thoughts beginning to swarm her mind. Immediately, a faint smile stretched across her lips as she stood up to answer it, already having a feeling about who it was.

She was right, of course. Matt was standing on her doorstep. Again.

"Hey," she said, this time being the first one to speak. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought i'd stop by to visit. I know that your parents are gone a lot of the time, so I feel like you must get lonely. Can...I come in? I don't have to if you're not comfortable with it."

Without a word of protest or a moment of hesitation, Caroline opened the door wider to allow him entrance into the house.

* * *

They ended up sitting on the couch and watching TV together, and although there wasn't anything particularly exciting or profound about the activity, Caroline was enjoying it immensely. Although she would't admit it, Matt was right. She _did _get lonely, and it was nice to be around someone who obviously cared.

But unfortunately, Matt wasn't immersed in the TV enough to not notice the wince that crossed her face when she felt yet another kick.

"Something wrong?"

"No. The babies...well, one of them anyway, is kicking."

Surprise crossed Matt's face, as if he had forgotten she was pregnant. "Does it hurt?"

"Yeah...but not too bad."

Silence passed over them before Matt spoke once again. "I honestly forget that you're pregnant sometimes. You don't act like you are."

"Well, after carrying them for months after months, I guess i've gotten used to it. But it's getting worse now...it's almost time for them to come out." She couldn't suppress the quiver her voice made as she finished the sentence.

A flash of sympathy clouded Matt's light blue eyes but there was also a seriousness about his gaze as well. "You're afraid." The comment was not worded like a question but rather as a statement. And for once, she couldn't argue with him.

"Yes," she breathed out in response. "I'm not ready to be a mother...and I definitely don't want to become a werewolf, which i've been told is a possibility."

Matt didn't say anything for a while, most likely because there wasn't much he _could _say to soothe or comfort her. The situation at hand was completely unavoidable at this point.

But, that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"We'll deal with it when the time comes. Either way, you won't be alone."

* * *

Caroline knew she shouldn't have kissed Matt, but she couldn't help herself.

It had been a long time since she had someone go out of their way to show they truly care without treating her like some wild animal that was waiting to go berserk. He had looked so handsome in that moment as he smiled at her. And truthfully...it was something that she had been aching to do ever since that conversation on her front porch.

The kiss had been short, but it had still been enough to cause embarrassment to course through her at realizing her impulsive actions and enough to cause Matt to look at her with an expression of shock on his face.

He had left after that, having gave her a polite excuse about needing to go have dinner with his parents, but Caroline could see right through it.

She always seemed to ruin everything good in her life.

* * *

Two days after that fateful, impulsive kiss, she officially went into labor.

It had happened while Bonnie was over at her house visiting so they could cook up another plot to further their mission in winning over Damon when the painful contractions really began. She had looked at the little redhead with grim and alarm and told her that she needed to go to the hospital.

Bonnie had of course looked panicked but the psychic showed some surprising strength as she helped the heaving Caroline out of the house and into the Forbes' spare car. They had been close to driving off and speeding towards the hospital when they were interrupted by the sight of a familiar, dark-eyed vampire approaching them.

"What's he doing here?" Caroline breathed out through slight gasps of pain.

Bonnie looked a little guilty as she answered. "I kind of accidentally called out to him with my powers and he insisted on coming. I'm sorry I...I was scared."

Although she didn't like the idea of Damon being here in this private of a moment, Caroline found that she couldn't bring herself to be mad at Bonnie for mistakenly calling the vampire over. But she wasn't sure if it was because she knew it was an accident or because she just didn't have time to feel angry in her current situation.

"Is everything alright, little bird?" Damon asked as he opened the door of the car and peered into it. Although Caroline was the one currently writhing in pain, she could clearly see that most of his attention was on Bonnie. It didn't bother her as much as she was sure it should have.

"She's having her babies," Bonnie replied, her voice shaking slightly. "I was going to take her to the hospital..."

"No," Damon cut her off firmly. And then, for the first time since his arrival, he turned his attention straight on the woman currently going through labor. "Weren't you pregnant with Tyler Smallwood's pups?"

"Yes," she rasped out.

"Then you obviously can't deliver them at a normal hospital. We need to remain hidden."

* * *

In the end, Damon had ended up leading them into the Old Wood to continue on with the delivery of the "pups".

Deep down, Caroline wanted to screech and yell at them that she was _not _going to give birth in the woods where it was dirty and there was no option of pain killers but she found that she just didn't have the energy to.

But...after a very long, and very agonizing process, and after listening to Bonnie's multiple whimpers and Damon's firm instructions, she heard the sound of baby cries.

"There's three of them, Caroline," she heard Bonnie say with wonder as she felt her gaze growing hazier and hazier. "Two boys and a girl."

Through her blurry line of sight, she saw the two of them, Damon and Bonnie, looking into each other's eyes, their faces filled with light at the knowledge that they had both just witnessed new life come into the world.

The last thing Caroline saw before she completely blacked out was their lips pressing together in a loving kiss.

* * *

She woke up hours later in the boarding house, lying in the bed of one of the guest rooms. Every single member of the group, except for Damon and Matt, had come to visit her and the three infant werewolves that were currently in their cribs. Damon didn't seem to care enough to, which was fine by her, since it would have been awkward anyway, although she supposed she should one day thank him for basically delivering her children. And Matt was apparently at a football game, which saddened her. She hadn't actually spoken to him ever since she had kissed him days earlier.

As she sat in bed alone, she gazed at the infant cubs in front of her. They seemed like strangers to her, even though she knew she had given birth to them in the woods not too long ago. But she couldn't imagine having to raise them as her own, especially since she _hadn't _turned into a werewolf in the end and was still very much human.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely registered the sound of someone opening the door and didn't acknowledge it until Matt suddenly stepped in front of her bed.

"Caroline...hey."

"Matt," she said, her throat dry as she nodded. She wasn't sure why he was here but she was glad he was.

He smiled at her, his gaze shifting over to the sleeping werewolf children for only a few moments before he gave his full attention to her once again. "I would have come sooner, but I _just _found out about what happened only twenty minutes ago...after the game ended."

That explained why he was still dressed in his sweaty football uniform.

"It's alright," she reassured. "You're here now."

She wasn't sure how it happened or who initiated it, but in the next few moments, she suddenly had him in bed with her, his arms wrapped around her as she cuddled into his strong arms, managing to ignore his sweaty smell.

"I'm sorry about before," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything. I was just...surprised."

Caroline was fully aware of what he was talking about. The night when she had kissed him and he had more or less fled from her house. She knew it was a topic that would have been brought up eventually, even if she didn't really want to talk about it.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have kissed you. I don't know what I was thinking..."

"No," he said firmly. "Now that I had time to think about it, I...think I liked it." And then, to her surprise, a light blush colored his cheeks. "And I wouldn't mind another one, if that's alright with you."

Secretly bursting with relief and happiness, Caroline gave him his request and leaned forward to press her lips against his once more. This kiss was reciprocated and lasted a much longer time than the last one had. The way his soft lips molded against hers and the wonderful way his arms remained wrapped around her as they kissed made her head swim and her toes curl.

_How was Elena ever willing to give him up?_

When they parted, he continued to hold her, and their fingers laced together. Caroline was pulled out of her temporary bliss when she caught sight of the tiny werewolves lying in their crib once more. She groaned. "I don't know what to do."

At her words, Matt averted his gaze to the infants as well. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what to do with them. I'm not ready to be a mother Matt...especially to werewolf children. I barely know how to take care of myself as it is. And how am I able to take care of them properly when i'm not even a werewolf myself?" She breathed out a sigh before continuing, not giving him the chance to respond to her rhetorical question. "I was thinking about talking to the pack and maybe letting them raise them, but i'm not sure if it's the right thing to do."

"In the end, they are your children. I think you're the one who knows what would be best for them."

* * *

After contemplating it for days, Caroline had made her decision.

She had ended up going over to pay Bastian a visit at his house and...made plans to hand her children over to the pack, who would have a family from their community raise them as their own.

It had been a hard decision. After all, the pack would be leaving Fells Church in only a few days and would be taking her children along with them, indicating that it would be a long time until she saw them again...if she ever saw them again at all. But in the end, she rationalized that it was the best thing to do for both her and them. They would now be raised by other werewolves...a family that could help them with their abilities and better understand them, and she would be able to continue to build her life back up without being dedicated to taking care of someone else.

Although she felt bittersweet, she shed no tears as she handed the infants over to the pack leader days later, opting to kissing all three of them on the top of their heads as a final goodbye from their biological mother.

* * *

**One Year Later**

Claps sounded from all over the small church as the happy, newly wedded couple embraced.

Stefan and Elena. The duo that had once been famous for being the Romeo and Juliet of Fells Church, finally had the wedding of their dreams.

Bonnie was crying tears of joy as she squeezed the hand of her own vampire boyfriend, and Damon, who had for the most part, at least to Caroline, acted completely emotionless for the entire ceremony up to that point had a rare glint of happiness in his dark eyes as he embraced the little redhead.

Caroline herself was seated a few rows of seats back, her hand clasped with Matt's as they watched Stefan and Elena walk down from the altar hand in hand, preparing to leave in the limo waiting outside for them and head off to their honeymoon.

"We should go congratulate them," her boyfriend said brightly as he stood up, attempting to pull her along with him, but Caroline was hesitant.

Sensing the fact that she was resisting him, Matt frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think they even wanted me here."

Matt let out a heavy sigh. "Caroline, come on. You and Elena have been patching things up lately. And Stefan even said he forgave you for everything. Besides, it was two years ago now."

"Maybe. But the only reason they invited me at all is because i'm your girlfriend. I think even you know that."

Matt shook his head. "No, I don't. Now can we get going...please? I think you're going to regret it later if you don't say anything to them."

Caroline heaved out a sigh of her own but nevertheless, finally allowed him to pull her in the direction of the golden couple. And despite her annoyance towards his insistence, she was smiling.

Things were slowly beginning to be right in the world again.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N: Sooo I hope people liked this, even if Bamon wasn't the main focus. I'll make sure that the next thing I write will feature Bamon as the main characters, although Caroline was a fun character to write. Until next time! :)**


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